Some pretty bad movies came out in 2016, some involving talking cats, others involving dirty grandpas. But the most disappointing releases, by far, were "Batman v Superman" and "Suicide Squad," each of which adapted a DC Comics property with its own dreary mix of frenetic action, lackluster characterization and coldhearted cynicism.

But there was a bright spot in all the gloom, a tether of hope for DC fans still awaiting the kind of stellar big-screen experience their Marvel-loyalist rival